A solid, dependable prop, Van der Linde reached the peak of the world game in 2007 when he started South Africa's successful Rugby World Cup final against England. A representative of the Free State Cheetahs, the Cats and Stormers at Super Rubgy level, Van der Linde also tasted life in Europe during a successful spell with Leinster. He returned to South Africa with Western Province and the Stormers in 2011 but his stay in Cape Town was a short one, with the ambitious Lions tempting him to Johannesburg prior to the Rugby World Cup.